World's Tallest Maple Discovery of 2012

157.80 ft. | 48.09 m. tall. Bigleaf Maple | Acer Macrophyllum ... "Humboldt Honey"

Copyright 2012 - by M. D. Vaden

On July 19, 2012, I spotted a tall Bigleaf Maple in the Coast Redwood forest near Avenue of the Giants at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. My next visit in October 2012, I spent a morning for accurate measurement.

This Maple was named "Humboldt Honey" ... The measurement using an Impulse 200LR laser rangefinder was 157.80 feet. The trunk circumference was 9.50 ft..

That established this as the tallest of the Acer (maples) genus in the United States, and apparently in the world. Washington had one reported around 160 ft. once, but reliable sources say it's closer to 148 ft.. The tallest in the east USA is a red maple measured at 143.6 ft. (2007) by Will Blozan & Jeff Riddle, in the Great Smokey Mountains. More discoveries should be out there for the finding.

The photo below shows trunk, leaf and laser aimed to top. The 149.98 is just the amount of trunk above the laser. For other tallest finds, take a moment to read other discoveries.

In November, 2012, I returned when golden autumn leaf color provided a better opportunity to look for a taller stem or branch. That trip confirmed that the tallest part of this maple was measured during the earlier October visit.

I also found a 143 ft. maple during the November, 2012, trip. And that not more than two miles away, also along Avenue of the Giants. The next tallest I'm aware of in the Coast Redwood parks is about 130 ft., near Founders Grove.

Out of curiosity, I checked out the flat at the bottom of the trail in Redwood National Park. There's a big group of large Bigleaf Maples there. Most were only 80 to 100 ft.